Orithyia sinica, sometimes called tiger crab or the tiger face crab, is a "singularly unusual" speciesofcrab,[1] whose characteristics warrant its separation into a separate genus, family and even superfamily,[1] having previously been included in the DorippoideaorLeucosioidea.[2] Its larvae, for instance, are unlike those of any other crab.[3]
O. sinica is a distinctive species, with stripes on the legs, and prominent eyespots on the carapace; the females' abdomen is unusually narrow, leaving the vulvae exposed.[1] The legs are flattened at the end, and this is an adaptation to digging, not swimming.[1]
O. sinica is found along the coast of mainland Asia from South KoreatoHong Kong, but is missing from the nearby islands, such as Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands and Japan, even though the intervening waters are shallow and the crab's larvae are planktonic.[1] Throughout its range, O. sinicaisfished on a small scale and commands high prices.[1]
^Rice, A. L. (1980). "The first zoeal stage of Ebalia nux A. Milne Edwards 1883, with a discussion of the zoeal characters of the Leucosiidae (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura)". Journal of Natural History. 14 (3): 331–337. doi:10.1080/00222938000770281.
Media related to Orithyia sinica at Wikimedia Commons
